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• Illustration: An account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, who had been mentored by the apostle John.
• John was uniquely close to Jesus as a member of the "inner-three" disciples.

• Before being called by Jesus, John stood to inherit a successful fishing business, had access to the house of the highpriest (Caiaphas), and had two servants.
• John gave it all up in order to follow Jesus.

• John was the only male disciple to witness Jesus' crucifixion, even though he could have been killed as a result.
• John followed Jesus in the bad times as well as in the good times.
  -Illustration: A native group in Zaire, Africa, decided to become Christians after they slowly poisoned the children of missionaries and observed their reactions.

• In John's gospel, he never mentions himself by name.

• John's Gospel was written later than the synoptic Gospels, and contains a lot of new information.
  -Illustration: Only 5 percent of Mark's gospel is different than Matthew's.
• As one of Jesus' closest disciples, John had seen many things the others did not (For example, the Mount of Transfiguration and Jesus' words to Judas during Passover).

• Jesus chose John to be his best friend.
• John was able to participate in that relationship without allowing his pride to destroy him.

• John 19:25-27
• In a sense, these are Jesus' most powerful, personal, and private words.
  -Illustration: In Jewish society, the eldest son was charged with caring for his mother if his father passed away.
• According to tradition, John remained in Jerusalem until Mary died.

• Most Christians are very familiar with the question, "Do you trust Jesus?"
• There are a long list of volunteers who are willing to trust Jesus when they have wonderful families, fulfilling jobs, and no financial concerns.
• Today, let us say, "Jesus, you can trust me."